Don't Follow the Dark
by Valeria Aurelia
Summary: After Sam and Castiel are kidnapped by shadows and darkness, Dean is forced to follow them into a strange, new world where he will face unnatural circumstances and perilous dangers in order to find his lost brothers. Will he be able to find them before its too late, or will they forever be trapped in a terrifying world of darkness?
1. Prolouge: Follow the Dark

**Okay! After such a long time away, I finally have my next story that I'm probably never going to finish! You guys have to force me to finish!**

 **Yes, and it's my first scary story, too! I hope you guys enjoy! If you do, please don't be shy to review, favorite, and follow! I especially appreciate reviews, so please tell me what you thought! :D**

 **Disclaimer:** **None of the characters or background plots belong to me. All rights belong to the writers of Supernatural and the CW Network. Ideas for some of the adventures were inspired by assorted books, video games, and movies.**

* * *

Darkness and shadows. That is what Dean saw when he opened his eyes. Whispers and murmurs. That is what Dean heard when he woke. Fear, however, was the only thing Dean felt. Cold, stark fear. The kind of fear that leads men to death. To the darkness.

Dean shot up in his bed to see his room full of swirling wisps of shadows. This was different from the Darkness they were facing at the moment, for this was deep blackness that swallowed light from one's very being.

And into his ears he could hear it, _them_. The whispers of unknown beings, muttering voices that spoke of terrible things.

 _They're gone…_

Dean jumped at the voices. Who was gone? What was this?

 _We took them… They're gone…_

Took who? What were these voices talking about?

 _The man and the angel… We took them… They're gone…_

Sam? Cas? Was that who they were talking about? They're gone? No, he shouldn't be so foolish. It must be a bad dream. If he just laid back down, he could just go back to-

 _Gone to the Black Place, they have! The man and the angel! We took them! They're gone!_ The voices echoed along with each word and with each breath they took.

The Black Place? What was that supposed to mean? What the hell was this, anyway? No, it's not real. It's just a bad dream. That's all it is. That's all…

 _Follow the dark, Dean…_

Dean felt shivers go down his spine as his name was whispered into his ear. What the hell was this? It felt so…real… Was this really just a dream?

 _Follow the dark, Dean…! There you will find Cernunnos and the bakeneko…! Who have gone to the Black Place, they have…! The Horn_ _é_ _d God and the phantom cat…! We took them…! They're gone!_

Suddenly, the door to Dean's room swung open with such ferocity that he thought their hinges would brake straight from their frames. And with this new opening, the black shadows began to drift away.

 _They're gone…! But not for long…!_

Dean watched the wisps of black leave the room, which made him leap from his bed suddenly. Before he could stop himself, the hunter called, "Hey, wait! What are you talking about!?"

 _Follow the dark, Dean…! They're gone…! But not for long…!_

He knew he shouldn't. It was definitely a dream. Sam and Cas were fine. They were safe and sound in their own rooms down the hall. There was no such thing as a Sir-nun-os or a ba-ke-ne-…a whatever! Both of those things existed as much as this dream did.

So, it wouldn't harm anything to follow this 'dark', right?

Dean knew he was being an imbecile as he felt his foot move forward on the floor, but he just couldn't stop himself. He found himself moving through the hallway, feeling the cold tile beneath his bare feet. It was calling to him, the shadows. Greeting him like an old friend, it was.

Greeting him like Death.

The experienced hunter couldn't make his feet stop moving forward. He had to follow the shadows as the whispering voices breathed into his ears the same thing, over and over and over again.

 _Follow the dark, Dean…! They're gone…! But not for long…!_

He had to, he just had to. It was as if following the dark was the one thing he had meant to do his whole life. Nothing else was worth it. All that mattered in the world now was following the dark, seeing where it would lead him. And if that meant death, so be it.

When Dean reached the Map Room, however, it was not death he found. And with the emergency lights blaring every second with green light instead of red, the wisps of blackness were curling even more ominously around where the antique map should be on the table. All human instincts that Dean could possibly have in him screamed not to step any closer. It seemed as though all the instincts that would usually tell a man to run and hide were built for this very moment.

The strange dream seemed to not care, however.

So, with more ease than would be expected, Dean took a step closer to the table. Then another… then another… then another…. And before the hunter knew what was happening, he suddenly found himself right next to the swirling of the blackness.

It called to him like never before, the whispers now raspy, coarse screeches.

 _Follow the dark, Dean…! They're gone…! But not for long…!_

And as the screams beckoned him more and more…

 _Follow the dark, Dean…! They're gone…! But not for long…!_

…Dean suddenly realized how much fear had been swelling up in his very being this whole time.

 _Follow the dark, Dean…! They're gone…! But not for long…!_

It was crushing, the fear. Crushing him more than anything he had ever experienced.

 _Follow the dark, Dean…! They're gone…! But not for long…!_

Dean's mouth started to open and his mind screamed for his legs to move.

 _Follow the dark, Dean…! They're gone…! But not for long…!_

His legs would not move, however. And no matter how much his nerves threatened to make him shake, he couldn't even do that. He couldn't do anything. The sole thing that his body forced him to do was stare into the bottomless abyss that was forming in front of him, curling and swirling before him. The screams raked at the back of his brain, making his entire mind vibrate from the sounds all around him. The cold bit at his neck and arms the closer he drew towards the darkness in front of him, his heart pounding wildly with every step.

Dean had never wanted anything more in his entire life than to just scream for help. Scream to anyone. Sam, Cas, anybody. And he prayed to God that this was a dream. Just a terrifyingly real dream. That the voices were wrong and his brothers were still in the hall, peacefully in their rooms. Safe and sound.

 _They're gone…!_

No…

 _They're gone…!_

No…!

 _They're gone…!_

No!

It was just a dream! A terrifying nightmare! His brothers _were_ in their rooms! They _were_ safe and sound! And nobody had _taken_ -

Dean's head suddenly shot up, eyes full of fear, breathing ragged and harsh. Sweat coated his skin, as he suddenly saw his brother and friend staring right back at him.

Their eyes were just as fearful, breathing just as ragged, and skin just as soaked. Their hands were reaching out to him, across the table that was also in front of them. Their mouths were open, screams threatening to come out, but never would.

For their skin was lit with a hue of green from the rocking lamp hanging close above their heads. With lips painted purple, the wisps of blackness and shadows traced their fingers across Dean's beloved brothers' delicate features. Tears were streaming down their faces as they reached out to him in slow-motion, dark sunken eyes laid on their heads. They were barely alive, their skin pressed so tightly against their thin, light bones that Dean swore he could see the color of their skeletons through their paper-thin surfaces.

The world had never been so against Dean than now. Everything in his being wanted to reach out to them, pull them out from the swirling portal of darkness, and save them from the whispering shadows.

But, just as before, he couldn't move a single muscle. He had to watch helplessly, forced to just stare at them emotionlessly as they disappeared into the darkness. He couldn't even shed a tear as they disappeared from his sight, still threatening to scream out to him, to plea for him to help them.

But he couldn't. He couldn't do anything.

 _Gone to the Black Place, they have! The man and the angel! We took them! They're gone!_

Once his friends were gone, it was as if his body had snapped back into reality, as he suddenly lunged forward, screaming and crying out.

" _Saaaam! Caaaas!_ " His hands gripped the table as he looked down into the abyss that had swallowed his brothers. " _Stop!_ "

 _Gone to the Black Place, they have! The man and the angel! We took them! They're gone!_

Dean felt himself shivering, remembering the terrible sight of the two people he loved the most slip away from him.

 _We took them! They're gone!_

A tear slipped off Dean's chin. He couldn't stop the river of tears that fell down his face, as he was only able to watch the drops of water fall into the shadows.

 _Follow the darkness, Dean…! They're gone…! But not for long…!_

Dean's screaming was hitched as he felt himself stop suddenly with wide eyes.

 _Follow the darkness, Dean! They're gone! But not for long!_

Dean stared thoughtfully into the abyss.

 _They're gone!_

"But not for long…" Dean suddenly repeated in a whisper.

Before he knew it, however, the hunter found himself slipping through a bottomless abyss of darkness and shadows, whispers and murmurs, and cold, stark fear. And as Dean drifted into unconsciousness, he was able to hear one last thing from the whispering voices.

 _Follow the dark, Dean…! There you will find Cernunnos and the bakeneko…! The Horn_ _é_ _d God and the phantom cat, they are…! Don't be deceived, however…! Friends are friends, no matter what food they've been given!_


	2. Chapter 1: The Skeletal Ferryman

Dean was swaying in misty waters when he awoke. His body jerked and he found himself kicking his legs suddenly through the water in order to stay afloat. The hunter's hair and pajamas were clinging to his skin as he gasped for air and spit out the grey water that was around him.

"What the hell?" he whispered.

What was he doing in the middle of the ocean? Last thing he remembered was that he had been sleeping in bed and then…

 _Follow the dark, Dean…! They're gone…! But not for long…!_

"Oh, son of a _bitch_!" Dean snapped as his head whipped back and forth, scanning his endless surroundings.

The hunter suddenly remembered the terrifying nightmare he had had of Sam and Cas being taken away by black, swirling shadows. His breathing hitched in fear of the memory and he began darting his head around his surroundings.

With ragged breathing and heart pounding, he called out across the ocean that was beyond the fog, "Saaam!" Dean waited for a response, hoping and praying there would be at least some sign of his brother. "Caaas!" Even at the second name he called, however, the hunter received no response from his lost brothers.

In desperation to find them, Dean then plunged his head into the deep, misty waters. He had to find them, he had to! There was nowhere else they could be but here! They had been taken away from him so many times, Dean didn't – Dean _couldn't_ give up on them this time! Especially after all he had done to them….

The sight he was met with beneath the waves, however, was not Sam or Cas, but something that sent chills down his spine. Right below him, swimming and climbing towards him, were thousands of human skeletons. Their bony hands reaching out to him, clawing one another in order to be the first to grab him. Flesh still hung from some of their bones, jaws closing and shutting, tattered clothes still clinging to their figures.

Dean jumped and his arms and legs shot forward, trying desperately to swim away from the hideous creatures. The hunter spun around and frantically fought his way up to the surface, which seemed so much farther away than before.

When Dean's head finally tore up out from the ocean and onto the surface, making him spit out water and gasp for air as he shook the grey liquid off his face, he was suddenly met with a strange sight. Not even a minute ago, he had plunged into the water with no one and nothing around, but now, Dean found himself staring at the rickety, old planks of a long, wooden boat.

He felt a gasp come from his mouth as his eyes flew up to see an eerie, robed figure standing on the boat in front of him. The robe that the man wore was tattered and old, and, with bony hands, he held a long stick that was partially submerged in the misty water.

Out of desperation to get away from the terrifying creatures that were waiting for him below the water, Dean reached his hands out to the boat and grabbed onto the side as he pleaded to the robed figure, "Please, old man, bring me to shore! I'm being chased!"

The figure stood still for a while before finally rotating its head to stare down at the young man before him, only for the hunter to go pale white in fear at the horrifying sight. Instead of a face of flesh, the robed figure was made only of bone and darkness. A skeleton, just as the creatures below him were, except where the beings in the water had flesh, this figure had the same black shadows curling around him that had taken Sam and Cas away.

Upon seeing the hunter hanging to his boat, the skeletal ferryman fully turned towards him. His movements were slow and strained, but when he finally was facing Dean completely, the ferryman towered high above him, a low breath uttered from between the teeth on his face that lacked any movement whatsoever. The tall, lanky skeleton gradually reached out a long, thin arm towards the young hunter, the coarse cloth that had been covering his hand slid upward as to reveal a pure white, bony hand, each finger clicking against each individual bone as his palm slowly opened as if he was asking him for something.

The ferryman froze in place. Dean drew in a quick breath as he looked down at the ferryman's hand and then back to his face once more, stopping instantly in fear as he was once again taken aback by the horror of it. The darkness no longer seemed like an absence of light, but instead a poisonous fog that loomed and billowed up around the skeleton's head. Dean finally breathed, "Yeah… Yeah, I don't know what you're-"

"Obol…." The ferryman interrupted him with a raspy and strained voice in a sort of tone that Dean had to think twice on whether or it was a word or if it was just the wind howling high above him.

Dean blinked at the skeletal figure before saying, "Um… Yeah, I don't have anything for you, buddy. I just need a quick ride to-" Dean was cut short on his words again, but unlike the last time, it was not the ferryman who interrupted him, but a sudden object that appeared in his mouth.

Surprised by the cold thing on his tongue, Dean reached one of his hands down to his mouth and spit it into his palm. The hunter looked down at the object to find, sitting in his hand, an imperfect, bronze coin that had a horned man on one side and the shape of a cat on the other.

After Dean flipped the coin over in his hand a few times with curiosity and awe, the skeletal ferryman's hand reached slightly forward even more as he repeated in his raspy voice once more, "Obol…."

Dean's eyes flicked up to the robed figure. This scene…it seemed so much like some myth he had heard, of a ferryman who would give you a ride to…somewhere, but only if you had a coin that had been placed in your mouth. And this skeletal ferryman was demanding for something he had, something called an 'obol'….

Taking a chance, Dean reached over to the ferryman's hand and hesitantly placed the misshapen coin in the bony palm. Once the ferryman had the bronze coin, his fingers curled around the metal object, each bone clicking against the metal, and he then stepped aside, inviting Dean onto the boat with him.

Dean smiled in spite of himself, haven figured out how to catch a ride to shore. So, the hunter hoisted himself onto the boat and the skeletal ferryman began to push his long, wooden stick through the water, making his boat move forward. And, without a single word, the robed figure took Dean across the misty waters as the hunter let his wet pajamas dry off, not knowing at all what dangers awaited him on the shores of the Black Place.

* * *

Birds chirped and leaves swayed around Sam. His fingers curled, feeling the grass underneath himself as he did so. He moved his leg up slightly, letting the grass and leaves around him tickle his skin. He could feel the heat of the sun on the side of his face as his lips curled up in a grimace. It was so warm and calming. Life was just as it should be, it seemed. Everything would be so perfect and at peace.

If it wasn't for the terrible, painful throbbing in Sam's head.

Sam moved his hands down to his sides and his legs inward, and with one mighty push, hoisted himself off the ground and began making his way into a sitting position. Once he was upright, he found himself swaying a little bit. The world was spinning, nothing was balanced, and Sam couldn't decide if he was going to puke, pass out, or both.

"Oh, god…" Sam muttered. His head was throbbing more than it ever had before. It felt heavier than usual, too, but he assumed that was just the throbbing. He would have thought that this was either a hangover or a concussion of some sorts if it wasn't for the terrible, _terrible_ pain on the top of his scalp.

It felt as if his head had been ripped open.

What had happened to him? Where was he? Why was he in the middle of the forest? Where was Dean? Where was-?

"Cas!" Sam's head suddenly shot up as he suddenly remembered being dragged into some dark portal with Castiel. They had been brought to…some… _place_ … No, there had been water at one point, endless fog and water…and then the ferryman came and took them away for two coins… Ah, but there was a town as well… a town of…little…people? Or _were_ they people? What else could they have been, then? And when had all that happened? In what order? What had happened first? How did he get here? Where was 'here'? And where was Cas?

Sam groaned and put his head down, all this moving and thinking was making the painful throbbing worse. He reached a hand up to his forehead, only to feel something wet and sticky on the top of his head. Sam's eyes shot open. He felt his heart beat faster in his chest. He knew he had to reach farther up his scalp to see where the bleeding was. But everything in his very being was screaming for him not to. He didn't want to know. He _didn't_ want to know.

But he _had_ to know.

Sam could hear his heart beating. Nothing else in the forest was making a noise. It was just him and his heart. With a shaking hand, his fingers made their way up his forehead, following the two trails of blood that were on each side of his face. They just hesitantly kept making their way up his face, all the way up until Sam's fingertips suddenly hit something. Something…hard…and…stick-like….

Sam never wanted anything more in the world than to put his hand back down. There was nothing to find on his scalp, it was just his head! But the kind of common sense that most people assume is insanity told him otherwise.

So, Sam's fingertips felt their way farther up his scalp, feeling the stick-like things on the top of his head. And the more he felt the objects, the more his hands shook and his heart pounded louder and his breathing quickened.

'No, it's not real. It's just a bad dream. That's all it is. That's all…!' Sam thought to himself desperately.

But, even with these pleas being repeated in his thoughts, Sam couldn't help a sudden, terrified scream. It was shill and long, the kind of scream that cries out for help, though they know it will not come. The kind of scream that begs for anyone to hear, so that their pain may be heard. And so, it was.

 _Welcome…_

Sam's eyes widened.

 _Welcome, Cernunnos…_

Shivers ran down his spine at the voices in the distance.

 _We hope you enjoyed your meal…_

Sam whipped his throbbing head around, trying to find where the voices were coming from despite his pain.

 _We offered it so that you would come back to us, Cernunnos…_

Suddenly, from behind the trees, wisps of yellow light emerged. Sam's eyebrows rose and his head moved back slightly in shock and awe at the dancing lights.

 _And come back to us you did…_


	3. Chapter 2: Cernunnos and the Wisps

**Oh my god! I'm so embarrassed, guys! I am so, so sorry! I publish the wrong story on here for the longest time! I don't know why anyone kept reading after this! I promise it won't happen again!**

 **I hope you guys will forgive me! Again, I am so sorry and so embarrassed! And if you're just coming to this chapter, just keep reading and forget this ever happened.**

 **So, I hope you enjoy the _real_ story! And if you do, please, please, please review! I'd really appreciate it! Thanks! :D**

* * *

Dean couldn't tell how much time had passed since he had hitched a ride from the skeletal ferryman. In fact, his internal clock seemed to be completely broken, as he apparently could no longer tell the difference between five minutes and an hour. Or, to better put it, he did not believe his mind when the ferryman's boat had arrived on shore not even three minutes later.

The shore he arrived at was the strangest place that he had ever seen. It sent shivers down his spine, and, for a moment, he almost asked the ferryman to turn back. The sand was an inky black and the sky was a mixture of red, green, and grey that housed rolling waves of mighty clouds that held small flashes of lightning every second or so. The leaves of the trees that littered the far away distance were dark blue and the flowers, if you could call them that, that hung from them looked like shriveled venus fly traps. Dean squinted his eyes at the little village that sat on the shore, he could tell there was something off about it. He just couldn't put a finger on it, though.

The side of the skeletal ferryman's boat hit the side of the creaky, old port. However, Dean couldn't decide what he wanted to do more, stay with the ferryman or go on that peculiar island. Neither one sounded quite so enjoyable, however. Creepy as he was, though, the ferryman seemed much more harmless than anything else that might be waiting for him on the island.

But, Sam and Cas were on that island, and if saving his lost brothers meant stepping foot on some creepy-ass island, then so be it.

So, Dean stood from his seat on the boat and made his way onto the port, still hugging his arms around his damp frame. The splintery, wooden planks of the port stung the hunter's bare feet as he made his way across it and to the little village.

Dean turned his head around to look back at the ferryman's boat, but when he did so, he was surprised to see that the ferryman and his long boat were gone without a trace. The hunter stopped and just stared out in confusion at the spot where the skeleton should be, eyes darting around hoping to see at least ripples from where the boat had departed.

But the ferryman was gone as quick as he had appeared.

Shaking his head, Dean then turned back around and continued making his way down the port. The little village looked very poor and run down with its falling apart buildings with straw rooves. Other than that, however, the village seemed to be normal, nothing too special about it. The real peculiar thing about it, though, was when the people started to come out of their homes.

A door to one of the misshapen houses suddenly opened with a loud screech. The person who came out, however, was a man. Not just any man, though, for this man…was three feet tall and had pointed ears.

There was nothing quite that odd about the man, besides for the fact that he had warts covering his face, fingers, and toes, his ears extended far out from his head which was the largest part of his body. Everything about the man's face was large, his nose, lips, narrowed eyes, and even just his entire skull. Alongside that, his hands and feet were oversized and covered in hair. If Dean didn't know any better, this small man looked exactly like some sort of dwarf or troll.

The troll turned towards Dean, who jumped slightly at the sight of such a small person, and gasped suddenly. The troll just stared at the hunter for a while before he asked in a hesitant voice, "Are you a human?"

Dean blinked at the little elf before replying just as hesitantly, "Uh…yes?"

The dwarf straightened up a little bit and looked around before asking, "What are you doing here?"

Dean's eyes darted around for a second or two before landing back on the pointy eared man. "I'm looking for my brother and friend."

The elf didn't reply for a second before tilting his head. "Would they be as tall as you are?"

"Um… Kinda, my brother's a little taller and my friend is a little shorter than me, I guess," Dean replied as he shifted from foot to foot, still a little weirded out by the fact that he was talking to an elf.

The troll pursed his lips for a second before asking again, "Did one have long, brown hair and the other have a tan overcoat?"

Dean's eyes widened and he took a step forward, excited that the little troll before him had seen his brothers. "You've seen them!? Where!? Where are they!? Are they-?"

The dwarf suddenly backed up from the hunter approaching him and shook his head as he snapped, "I haven't seen them!"

Dean stopped. "What? Of course you have! You just described them!"

The man shook his head. "No, I just heard about them from my brother-in-law. He works as a lumberjack on the edge of town," The little man pointed down the street. "They had come by his cabin pleading for food."

Dean's eyes widened in shock and fear. They were pleading for food? That must mean that they're hurt or something! His head shot up to look down the street. He had to hurry! They were in danger!

After Dean turned to the troll one last time to say a quick 'thank you', he began racing down the road, slipping a few times on the wet mud. He had to get to them before something else happened to them! He would kill himself if they were hurt.

* * *

Sam could barely breathe anymore and his heart felt like it was going to explode out of his chest as he ran through the forest. His feet ached as they ripped and tore on the sharp rocks and twigs of the forest floor. His hands scrapped against the trees that darted past him.

He couldn't quite remember what he was running from, all he knew was that he had to get away from something. This forest, maybe? The wisps of light? The voices in the distance?

Himself?

Suddenly, Sam tripped on an uncovered root and the young hunter found himself falling down a hill, the terrain scrapping and tearing at his skin and clothes. Finally, after tumbling down rocks and roots, Sam found himself lying on hard and pointy pebbles.

The young man groaned in pain. Everything hurt. His skin was torn from tripping and falling, especially from rolling down the hill, and his head still slightly throbbed from the horrid sticks that were protruding from his bleeding scalp. He had no idea how he was still alive, or at least still conscious. After all, who could possibly be alive after getting branches jammed into their brain?

Sam lifted his head to see rushing water that ran through a small ditch in the rocks to form a small riverbed not too far away from him. Another groan escaped from his lips that were curled up in a painful grimace. With much difficulty, the young hunter then started to drag himself over to the small creek.

More groans escaped from his mouth as the pebbles on the river rubbed against his bleeding skin that had been ripped open from the wounds covering his body as Sam made his way over to the water. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the young hunter found himself right in front of the stream.

He let a sigh of relief leave his mouth as he dipped his hand into the river and brought it up to his lips. Sam knew how dangerous drinking unfiltered water could be, but at the moment, he didn't care one bit. He just needed water so badly.

Sam slurped up the beautiful, crisp water, and another sigh found its way out of his mouth. It was the most spectacular water that he had ever drank in his entire life. However, it was most likely because of how incredibly thirsty he was. There didn't seem to be anything more amazing than just plain water at the moment. So, Sam found himself shoveling the clear liquid into his mouth, slurping it up in desperation, not even caring about the embarrassing grunts and groans of satisfaction escaped his lips.

After he had gotten his fill of water, Sam let his hand come down in front of him. He let deep breaths come out as he absorbed the knowledge that he was safe, for at least the time being. He wasn't exactly sure what he thought he had to run from, though he was pretty sure it had to do with the wisps of light that had danced around the forest when he had woken up. But, he wasn't going to worry about that for now. Right now, he was just going to think about himself and what to do next.

Sam suddenly remembered about the dried blood that was clinging to his forehead and eyebrows. He supposed he could – and should clean that off. And he should also probably think about how to safely remove the two sticks that were jammed into his head.

The young hunter dragged himself closer to the water until he could see a reflection of himself. It wasn't totally clear, as it was moving water, but there was at least a partial image. Enough for him to see the blood and the….

Sam's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. His hand slowly started to raise up to the two objects sticking out of his head. Suddenly, he couldn't help himself by slipping out two words as he stared at the objects. "The hell?"

Sam's eyes darted across the rippling reflection of himself, for the two objects that were protruding from his scalp were not sticks. No, and Sam couldn't decide if he was relieved or horrified when he found that, resting atop his head, were two, large, horrifying antlers.

Once Sam's brain had registered what exactly was protruding from his scalp, a sudden yelp escaped from his mouth and, despite all the pain, his body shot up into a standing position. But, despite the fear and shock building up inside of him, Sam just kept staring at the two impressive antlers that were mounted on his head.

After a while of just staring at the antlers, Sam finally took a step forward and kneeled down in front of the water. He then began moving his head in different ways in order to examine the heavy weights on his head. His hand came up to one of them and began to trace their way along where the antlers were sprouting from his scalp.

"The hell?" Sam repeated as he found that they were, in fact, growing from his head.

His hands then fell down to his lap and he continued to stare at himself. For quite some time he just sat there and stared into his reflection, examining the newly grown antlers before his head suddenly dropped into his hands.

The young hunter began to shake as he whispered to himself, "No, no… This is just a dream…just a dream… People don't grow antlers… It's just not possible…! You're just being crazy, Sam… Just being…"

Sam couldn't finish his sentence as he, uncontrollably, broke into strangled sobs. He couldn't say exactly why he was crying, for there were many reasons. He was hungry, he was hurting everywhere, there were goddamn antlers growing from his head… The biggest reason, however, was the fact that he was dealing with it all alone.

 _Why are you crying, Cernunnos?_

Sam's sobs suddenly stopped as he froze and his body straightened up.

 _Did we do something wrong?_

Sam lifted his head to see, from the trees across the creek, the same dancing wisps of light from before emerge.

 _But we did everything for you, did we not?_

Sam sniffled as the lights grew closer.

 _We offered you a tree, and you ate from it. We gave you a river, and you drank from it. We even gave you back your torc._

Sam's eyebrows furrowed as he suddenly noticed a metal ring that was wrapped around his neck. A hand flew up to it, feeling all around the bronze 'torc'. The two, short ends of it came off from his neck in the front to trail along his collarbone. It was beautifully decorated, that was for sure. How had he not noticed it before? He must've been so preoccupied on everything else.

 _What more do you seek, Cernunnos?_

Sam's eyes flicked back up to the dancing lights in front of him. They were the ones talking, right? But who were they? And why did they keep calling him Cernunnos?

"Who are you?" the young hunter asked.

There was a small gasp that came from the lights as they moved back suddenly. _Who are we? Cernunnos, do you really not remember?_

Sam blinked a few times in confusion. "Yeah, and why do you keep calling me 'Cernunnos'?"

One of the lights seemed to turn to one of its 'friends'. _That must be why Cernunnos left in the first place!_ The light then turned back to Sam. _Is that why you left us, Cernunnos?_

"Okay, look," Sam began in an exasperated voice. He was really done with these freaky lights pestering him all the time. "I have no idea what you're talking about and I'm _not_ 'Cernunnos'!"

The light then moved closer to the young man. _No, you're just confused, Cernunnos!_

"No, _you're_ confused!" Sam snapped as he waved a hand in front of it, in hopes of shooing it away, which worked slightly as it backed away just a little bit. "You've got the wrong guy!" He then stood up and began to walk away from the three lights. "Now leave me alone!"

 _No, wait, Cernunnos!_

Suddenly, one of the lights flew in front of Sam's path, making him stop and glare at it. He was shocked, however, to find that it now had a form to it. It had a large, round head and a swaying dress that still looked much like a cloud of light, but still had no apparent form besides exactly that. It had two small eyes and a delicate mouth with the dress being its only body with no arms and no legs, and that tiny person – if it was even a person at all – seemed to be made up primarily of bright, yellow light.

 _You ate from our tree that we set out for you, Cernunnos! It was meant for you!_

Another light came into his view, with the same form except for the fact that it had two little arms sprouting from its sides.

 _Only Cernunnos can eat from the tree._

Sam turned around, only for the two lights to follow him and join the third that had been behind him. The third light, again, looked exactly like the second except it had two little feet sprouting from its dress.

 _And when he does, he comes back to us._

Sam's eyebrows knit together. "Okay, look, guys. Just because I ate from your tree does _not_ mean I'm this 'Cernunnos' guy."

 _Oh, yes it does!_ The first cheered with a nod of its head.

 _We know so!_ The second declared with a wave of its arms.

 _Yes, we know!_ The third giggled with a shake of its legs.

Sam's eyes darted along the three of the wisps. "How?"

The second wisp's stout arms reached up to where its little mouth should be and giggled into its hands. _Because they grew back!_

The first wisp's round face nodded like a bobble-head. _Yes, they had fallen off before!_

The third wisp's little legs kicked around as it reached one arm up and pointed at Sam's head. _But once you ate the fruit we gave you, they grew back!_

Sam's eyes widened as he followed the third wisp's finger. The young hunter's hand reached up hesitantly and rested near his newly grown antlers. "You guys," His fingers felt the rough material of the horrible antlers. "What did you do to me?"

The second wisp giggled into its hands again. _We brought you back!_

The first wisp nodded its giant head. _It's been so lonely without you!_

The third wisp waved its little arms next to its sides in excitement. _And now that you're back…_

A smile graced the wisps' features as they all said in unison, _…We'll never let you go!_


	4. Chapter 3: The Trees of Dodona

**I also did the same exact thing to this chapter too!? How is that even _possible_!? Ugh! This is _extremely_ embarrassing! No one wonder no body liked it! I'd just like to thank FatalFramer for following this very confusing story nevertheless! I promise this a good story, guys! It just had a few hiccups!**

 **If you like these chapters that took so long to put out, please review or something. It would really be a big help. :)**

* * *

After running down the muddy road of the strange, little village, Dean arrived at an old cabin, of which had a few planks of house half-broken and the poles that held up the porch let out long moans every so often. Outside the messy building were fenced squares of land with signs on each one that read 'wood', though, despite the signs, the squares were empty. His heart was racing and he was out of breath as he stepped up towards the door and knocked on it.

"Hello? Is anyone home?" the hunter called out.

The door suddenly flew open so ferociously that, when the little troll opened the door, it broke off the rusty hinges leaving only the dwarf's hand to hold it in place. The little person in the doorway looked almost exactly like the troll near the port, except that this one had a deep scowl plastered onto his face.

"I already told you! I don't have any-" The troll stopped his screaming when he suddenly realized that Dean was not the person he was expecting to be at his door. The dwarf's eyes glanced up to glare at the young hunter's face. "Oh, another human, huh?"

Dean's eyes widened, surprised by the troll's aggressive behavior. "Uh… Yeah, I'm here looking for my brother and-"

"Haven't seen 'em," the dwarf interrupted him shortly.

Dean's eyebrows furrowed. "What d'ya mean? I didn't even finish my sentence!"

The troll shook his head. "I don't need to hear the rest to know I haven't seen 'em."

Dean was starting to get a little annoyed with this elf's attitude. "Look, buddy, I know they came here! Your brother-in-law or whatever told me!"

The troll's eyes widened in shock. "He did?"

"Yeah!"

The little troll shook his head again as he looked down the street in the direction of where the dwarf near the port lived. "That little…"

"And they were pleading for food! So, where are they!?" Dean demanded.

The troll looked back up at Dean with narrowed eyes. "Why should I tell you?"

Suddenly, out of frustration, Dean reached a hand down and lifted the little troll into the air by the collar of his shirt. He glared menacingly into the dwarf's eyes as he growled, "Because it would be in your best interest."

This action didn't seem to change anything in the dwarf's stubborn mind as he just glared right back at the hunter for a while, before muttering through his teeth, "I'll tell you where they are…"

"Thank you," Dean replied before going to put the dwarf back down.

"On one condition!" the troll suddenly announced. Dean's eyes narrowed menacingly again, however it still didn't seem to intimidate the troll whatsoever. "Go into the forest and bring me back some firewood for my village."

Dean glanced over at the empty squares of fenced land. "Why can't you do it? Aren't you a lumberjack?"

"The trees…they won't cooperate." Dean's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, making the dwarf roll his eyes. "I can't, let's just say that."

Dean stared at the ugly troll in his hand. He didn't have time for this. He had to find Sam and Cas before something happened to them. Who knows what dangers could've gotten to them while he was stuck here in a village full of trolls? But, this dwarf, despite being a huge pain in the ass, was the only lead he had. Besides, how hard could just cutting down one tree be?

So, Dean put the troll down and muttered as he rolled his eyes, "Fine, I'll go get your goddamn wood."

"Thank you!" the dwarf said with and exasperated voice as he lifted his arms up to extenuate his annoyed relief. He then reached into his little home and pulled out an axe that seemed a little too big for his tiny frame. "Here, you'll need this to cut down a tree."

"Thanks," Dean mumbled as he yanked the axe away from the dwarf, and with that, the hunter began to make his way into the forest.

* * *

Dean had been walking through the forest for a while, trying to find a tree that looked easy enough to cut down. His feet were now quite sore from walking barefoot everywhere. He really needed to get shoes at some point.

Finally, Dean stopped in front of a scraggly, little apple tree – which seemed oddly placed in the forest he was in. It wouldn't have _that_ much firewood on it, but it'd have to do. Besides, Dean didn't really care about those ugly-ass trolls living in that tiny village, anyway.

So, Dean went up to the tree, steadied himself, and with one mighty swing, drove into it with his axe. Suddenly, there was a loud and painful scream that came from in front of him. Dean looked around, bewildered, but found no one. Until another scream was sounded, and with it, the scraggly tree he had tried to cut down twisted around to face him.

The sight that Dean was confronted with made him jump a few inches off the ground from shock. The tree's bark was growing in such a way that eyes, a nose, and mouth had now etched its way onto the side of it. Its long nose hung down in a such a way that it was almost touching its upper lip; the eyes of the tree was narrowed and sunk down deep within the trunk almost as if they were large abysses into its face. Dean would've thought that it was quite possibly a figment of his imagination if it wasn't for the fact that the face's mouth began to move as it continued to scream out in pain.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" the tree yowled. Its face was riddled with pain as it scrunched and unscrunched repeatedly. "What'd ya do that for!?"

Dean's eyes widened in shock and fear as he gasped and released the axe from his hands, stepping back a few paces. What the hell was he seeing? He had to be going crazy! Sure, he had seen a lot of weird things today – skeletons and trolls, for example – but a _talking_ _tree_!? That had to be the cherry on top for the 'weird things that could possibly or not possibly exist'. _Nothing_ could be weirder than a tree that screams and asks why you tried to cut it down.

"Um…" Dean began, not knowing how to respond to a tree.

"Umm!? Don't you 'umm' me! You almost _killed_ me!" the tree scolded, its face now extremely infuriated.

Suddenly, a tall ash tree with blue leaves and a pitch-black trunk nearby turned around to reveal a face on it as well. The new tree then opened its mouth and asked in a deep, lazy voice, "Everything okay over here, guys?"

" _No_! Everything's not okay!" the apple tree snapped to the ash tree.

There was a pause before the other tree asked, "Why's that?"

"Why's that? _Why's that_!?" the first tree repeated. "What do you _think_!? I have a goddamn _axe_ stuck in me!"

There was another pause before the oak asked again, "Why?"

"I don't _know_! You think I would _know_ why some serial killer would just walk up and hack me down!?"

"…Well… yea-"

" _No_ , Fraxinus! No! I _wouldn't_! Ya wanna know _why_!?"

"…Uh… sure?"

"Because I'm a _civilized_ Plantae," The apple tree then turned back to Dean to give him the hairy eyeball before continuing, "And not a deranged _axe_ _murderer_!"

Suddenly, feeling a little offended for being scolded by a tree, Dean put out his hands and defended, "Okay, guys, I can explain!"

"There's no explaining to be done here, you _murderer_!" the apple tree snapped.

"I'm not a _murderer_!" Dean defended again. "I just needed-"

"You needed to _kill_! That's what you needed!"

"I didn't need to-"

"Because you're a serial axe murderer!"

"I'm not an _axe_ _murderer_! If you'd just let me explain-"

"No!" Suddenly, a branch from the apple tree came down and, like a hand, pointed it at the young hunter. "You tried to kill me, murderer! Now you must suffer the-"

"Malus!" A woman's voice suddenly was heard from behind them, making Dean turn around to see a chestnut tree with a calm and gentle face staring at the small, apple tree. "That's enough hassling for one day, don't you think?"

"But, Castanea! This human just tried to-" the apple tree started to defend, only to be interrupted by the lovely chestnut tree again.

"All for good reason, I believe." She – at least it seemed that it was a female – glanced at Dean with a slight smile, which comforted the hunter for some reason.

"All for good reason!? Castanea, he tried to-"

"I know what he tried to do, Malus."

"Then why are you trying to defend this deranged human!? Do you not care about my well-being at all!?"

"No," the ash tree said in his blunt and sleepy way.

"Oh, just shut up, Fraxinus!" the apple tree snapped.

Ignoring the two bickering – and quite annoying – trees in the background, the chestnut tree moved her head down in way that looked like a nod. "Go ahead, strange human. Explain why you tried to cut down Malus."

"Um…" Dean started, shifting a little. How in the world would he talk to a tree? What was he supposed to say? "I-I needed firewood. I had no idea that you were… _alive_ , though."

"What, you think we were _dead_ or something?" Malus asked exasperatedly.

Dean turned around to face the angry apple tree that still had his axe stuck in his trunk. "No, well… I don't know, I just didn't think you'd…wake up."

"I see, human," Castanea nodded again with her small smile ever present on her face. "If you want firewood, I shall you give it to you then."

"Wait, wait, _what_!?" Malus exclaimed. "You're handing yourself over to this _maniac_!?"

Castanea giggled before shaking her head. "No, Malus. But I will give you some of my old branches. They won't be perfect firewood, but I'm sure you won't mind."

Dean smiled a little as Castanea reached some old braches down in front of him. He then went back over to Malus, who kept yelling at him, so that he could retrieve his axe and came back to the kind, chestnut tree. He then began to cut off the old branches that were hanging down. Dean didn't know if these branches were satisfactory or not, but, truthfully, he didn't care one bit.

After he had an arm-full of branches, he thanked the kind tree and began on his way back to the grumpy, old troll. It took him about ten minutes before he came up to the lumberjack's cabin, who was working on putting his door back on the doorframe.

"Ah! You came back…?" the troll asked in a surprisingly alarmed voice once Dean came into view. "And with firewood, it seems?"

Dean nodded and threw the old sticks down in front of the little dwarf. "Yeah, I got your stupid sticks." He then looked back down at the lumberjack with an annoyed glare. "Now, where did my brother and friend go?"

The troll shook his head as he examined the sticks. "I don't understand," He then looked back up at the hunter. "How did you-?"

"How did I get firewood from talking trees?" Dean finished the troll's question. "Doesn't matter. What _does_ matter, however, is where the two other humans went."

The troll shook his head, still shocked that Dean had actually done as he had asked. He then pointed down the path that led into the forest. "They, uh, went into the forest after I couldn't give them any food. I didn't even have any for myself, either, since business has been kinda slow, lately. So, they went to go find food somewhere else."

Dean nodded. That was even more troubling. His brothers were still starving out there, which made them even more susceptible to whatever dangers were lurking in the darkness of the trees.

The hunter mumbled a quick 'thanks' to the ugly, little troll, before starting to walk towards the path leading into the forest. But before he could really go anywhere, he heard the dwarf behind him call out, "Hey, wait!"

Dean turned around in order to face the troll who was still in front of his pile of chestnut tree branches. "I can't thank you enough for these branches, human. This will really help my village and give me enough money to eat for a month or two!"

"Yeah, no problem. But I really need to-" Dean began, feeling rather urgent to get a move on.

"So," the dwarf demanded. "I'd like to grant you safe passage through the forest. It's a very treacherous wood and I'd like to make sure you get where you're going." He then pointed to a little cabin a little ways down the road. "My nephew, Crimini, rides his carriage through the forest all the time. Tell him what you've done for us and he will surely bring you there."

Dean's eyebrows raised in shock. "Thank you...! That's actually really helpful!"

The troll nodded with a smile. "You are very welcome, young human." He then stepped forward and put out a large hand. "My name's Portobello, by the way."

The hunter stepped forward and shook the troll's little hand as he nodded and replied, "Dean."

Portobello nodded again and stepped back. "Well, Dean, it's been a pleasure, but I'd suggest you go find your brother and friend." He shook his head with pursed lips. "Those woods aren't for the faint of heart." His eyes then settled back on Dean's grim expression. "I hope you find those boys. I felt so bad about not being able to help them out except for giving them directions."

"Directions? Where to?"

Portobello nodded as he gestured to the trees. "There's a few houses just on the other side of the forest. I told them they could go see if the residents there would be of any service." The dwarf then shook his head with a grim face. "I don't know if that was a good idea or not."

Dean's eyebrows furrowed. "Why do you say that?"

Portobello looked back up at the hunter. "I've never been too fond of the kind of people on the other side of the forest, so consumed in their rice farming. But recently, there's just been something _off_ about them. Ever since…" The old troll didn't say anything for a while before he shook his head once more and looked back up at Dean. "Well, you should be going on your way."

Dean nodded, but he couldn't help but feel very unsettled by what Portobello had told him. Not only were his brothers lost and hungry, but they probably paid a visit to a bunch of suspicious people? He really needed to find them quickly, he couldn't stand the feeling of wondering if something terrible had happened to them.

They were probably fine, Dean tried to tell himself. It was the second-best demon hunter in the world and an angel who had both stopped the apocalypse with him that he was talking about. They could survive walking through a damn forest. No matter how many times he tried to tell himself this, however, Dean couldn't shake the horrible feeling that told him that something terrible had happened to his brothers.

Something worse than could possibly be imagined.


	5. Chapter 4: The Bakeneko

After Dean's talk with Portobello, the hunter went to Crimini and asked for a ride, who was actually overjoyedto help him out. It had taken about ten minutes before the young troll had set up his carriage, which looked like a normal, black, Victorian-style, horse-drawn coach. Now, Dean was sitting on the comfortable, padded seat and watching the trees go by.

The view of the 'very treacherous forest' was actually quite pleasant from this angle, just sitting cozy in a hooded carriage. It would've been even more pleasant if it hadn't been for the terrible gut-feeling Dean had of that Sam and Cas were in danger, though.

The scenery outside the carriage window suddenly changed dramatically as Crimini had taken Dean outside of the forest. The hunter now watched as the trees thinned out and he was now surrounded in expansive rice fields that stretched out for a few miles or so; lush grass grew out from the field that was drenched in glistening, clear water. Enormous, dark, billowing clouds rolled across the fog-ridden sky, which brushed alongside the tops of the rocky, bush-covered mountains surrounding the field, leaving the distant hills stained a gentle shade of grey. There were a few Japanese-styled houses scattered all around the rice fields as well. Dean felt a gasp leave his mouth as he suddenly felt as if he was in the countryside of Asia. He wondered, however, why there was no one in the rice fields, but he assumed that it was just because it was growing dark.

Crimini's carriage suddenly stopped in front one of the little Japanese houses, making Dean be jerked from his trance. The hunter then stepped out of the carriage with a medieval-styled satchel that Portobello had given him and thanked the young troll before his ride turned around and began to make its way back into the forest. Dean then looked over to the house and, with a sigh, began to make his way towards it. Even if this house hadn't seen Sam or Cas, the residents would probably have heard about them.

Before Dean could go anywhere, though, a young, Japanese woman in a beautiful, red kimono suddenly ran out of the house as she screamed, " _Tasukete_!"

Dean's eyes widened as she suddenly ran up to him, chanting the same gibberish to him as she grabbed onto his arms. Her long, black hair waved wildly as she frantically shook him while tears streamed down her face.

"Whoa, whoa!" Dean shouted, in an attempt to calm the terrified woman down. "Calm down!" He looked into the woman's eyes gently, making her chanting stop as she continued to cry and breath loudly. "Do you speak English?"

The woman nodded as her breathing made it almost impossible for her to respond with words.

"Okay, then what happened?" Dean asked.

"Bakeneko!" the young woman answered in a terrified voice. "He's a bakeneko! He came into my house! I didn't know what he was! He looked like a man! He tricked me! He's going to curse me! He's going to curse me and my father! He's going to-"

"Okay, okay, calm down. Calm down," Dean told her softly. "Now, tell me what happened. Slower this time, oka-"

"Aiya!" a man's voice called. They both looked up to see an old man standing in the doorway of the house that the woman had run from. He had a stern but slightly scared face and wore a blue kimono. His wise eyes then went to stare into Dean's before he asked, "Who are you and what do you want?"

Dean stood straight before he answered firmly, "Name's Dean. I was looking for my brother and friend when your daughter, I assume, came up to me screaming." He then squinted his eyes in a knowing manner. "What exactly is a bakeneko?"

The old man just stared at him for a while before he sighed and seemed to relax his firm shoulders. His stern face showed Dean just how scared he was of the 'bakeneko'.

"Why do you want to know?" the old man asked.

"I'd like to help," Dean replied.

The old man paused for a moment, probably trying to decide if Dean could really be of help to him or not. But, after a while, the man then stepped aside and gestured with his hand for Dean to go into his house before he said calmly, "Come inside, Dean- _san_. I'll tell you what happened, and if you still are up to helping us you may."

* * *

Their house was very beautiful with the standard, old-fashioned Japanese style. Aiya – the young woman – had lit lanterns around the house, as it had gotten quite dark outside from a sudden rainstorm. And Fujita – Aiya's father – had sat Dean down at a low table on a red pillow as he served the hunter some green tea, which Dean had decided not to touch.

"So," Dean began once Aiya sat beside her father at the table. "You said you saw a bakeneko?"

Fujita nodded. "Yes."

"And what exactly _is_ a 'bakeneko'?" Dean asked.

"It's a terrible creature that looks like a cat! It's a monster!" Aiya suddenly exclaimed.

Fujita shot his daughter a look before answering Dean in a reasonable and polite tone, "It's a kind of yōkai, which is a supernatural monster or spirit. It looks like a cat but can change its shape to resemble a man."

"It curses and possesses people!" Aiya interrupted loudly with a terrified expression.

"Aiya!" Fujita scolded quietly, leaning in to her, he hissed, "Be quiet! He could…" The rest of the old man's words were left inaudible to Dean's ears.

Dean's eyes darted between the two before he asked again, "And you said you saw one?"

Fujita nodded. "Last night, we were visited by a man. He seemed rather nice, so we gave him some rice and mikan, as he was incredibly hungry. He was just telling us of what had happened to him in the forest when…" The old man's face turned grim. "He suddenly started to change shape…turning into a…a…"

"A bakeneko…" Aiya finished in a low and hushed tone, making Fujita nod again as the two's faces were ridden with their horror of the memory.

Dean nodded as well, before he leaned forward and asked, "Did it hurt you?"

The old man shook his head. "Well, no," He then turned to look down a hallway behind him and point to the first door on the left. "It did run into that room, though."

Dean stopped. "Wait…" he breathed, "You mean… it's still here…?"

Fujita nodded slowly as Aiya whispered frantically, "Yes! It's horrifying, Dean- _san_! Horrifying! The man was just eating our food, and then suddenly, a few minutes later, he started coughing up the fruit! His body began to grow hair as he started shrinking down to the floor! His fur was coarse and held together in jagged clumps, all of which were scorched the color of a black I've never seen before! It was blacker than night! His eyes were huge, fiery, and blazing a demonic blue, a color that could steal your soul! I didn't dare gaze into them, though! I've heard the stories. One look and he's already eaten your soul all up!"

Dean nodded again as looked into the hall that was drenched in dark shadows, studying the two doors that were shut and had an overturned table in front of it. So, there was a monster-cat in that room, huh? He knew he should be looking for Sam and Cas, but there was something about this that made him think that this would lead him somewhere. These people had probably seen, or at least heard about, his two brothers, so if he could at least help them out, they would probably help him out too, just like Portobello had.

Dean nodded once more, determination flashing in his eyes as he looked back at the two terrified rice farmers. "Alright, so what do I do?"

Fujita and Aiya smiled brightly at him as the old man asked, "You'll help us?"

Dean nodded once and quickly asked again, "Yeah, so what do I have to do to stop this bakeneko?"

Fujita, with a determined expression, slowly stood up and walked over to the dresser beside the wall nearby. He then took a glistening, Japanese dagger from the top of it and walked back over to the table. The old man then went back down to kneel on his pillow and unsheathe the blade gently. He then handed it to Dean with a firm face and told him as Aiya handed him a plate of raw fish, "Offer the bakeneko this fish, it hasn't eaten all day as we trapped it in that room last night. It will come willingly since it's been hungry from the moment it came here last night. While it is distracted, stab the bakeneko through the heart with this dagger. Bring us back his dead corpse and we'll thank you generously."

Dean looked down at the beautiful dagger with its white, woven hilt. He could see a clear reflection of himself in the polished metal, his calm face held no expression. He was going to kill that monster-cat and force the information of his brothers' whereabouts out of these two, terrified people. He was going to find them and get back home, out of this terrifying place where skeletons rode boats, trolls couldn't do their jobs, trees talked, and monster-cats terrorized innocent rice farmers. And if that meant killing a stupid, hungry cat to do so, then so be it.

The hunter then told the two residents of the house to go wait outside for him. Once Aiya and Fujita were gone, Dean slowly made his way, with the dagger and plate of fish, towards the doors that held the bakeneko.

He found himself staring right at the two doors and gently moved the table away from them. He took one, steady breath before he slid one of the doors open slightly, listening intently on the low, moan of the door, and slid the plate of fish into the middle of the room. Dean then crouched down in front of the opening of the doors and waited patiently for the stupid cat to come into view and start its last meal.

Dean waited for a couple of seconds, worrying that his breathing was too loud, before, suddenly, from behind an overturned dresser that had a Japanese tapestry lying over it, a little, black head peaked out. Its big, blue eyes held enormous, dark pupils that were wide and its tiny, black ears were flat against its head as its nose sniffed the air like crazy. Its little mouth was slightly open as all of its attention was focused solely on the plate of raw fish in the center of the room. And after what seemed like forever, the little, black cat that was hiding behind the dresser finally rested two, tiny, ebony paws on the tapestry. Its head rose up a little bit at a time, neck stretched out as far as it possibly could, as its ears came up and down from resting on its head.

Suddenly, taking its chance, the black cat darted forward, crouching close to the ground as if it was stalking prey. Once it reached the raw fish, the cat sniffed it a few times before tearing into its offered food. Its fur stood on end slightly and its eyes were wide, as if waiting for the moment when something would jump out and attack it. Clearly, this cat wasn't as dumb as one would take it to be, for it could sense the trap easily. It didn't seem to care, however, as it was just so hungry that even falling into a trap was worth it as long as it got something to eat.

The more Dean watched this 'monster-cat', however, the less monstrous it seemed. This 'bakeneko' just seemed to be a regular cat who was just very hungry and even seemed a little spooked. So much so, that Dean didn't even know if he had the heart to kill it. It was just so…innocent. And, that was saying something, because Dean despised cats.

But, if killing this damn cat meant finding his lost and starving brothers, Dean would kill it without a second thought.

Dean waited, watching the black cat eat its meal, until he suddenly noticed the cat relax a little bit, thinking that, since no one had attacked it yet, it must be in the clear. The hunter wasn't going to let this sliver of a moment slip away, so, with one effortless action, Dean flew through the door and grabbed the helpless, little, black cat, pinning it to the ground.

Dean found himself staring murderously into the big, blue eyes of the black cat, who could do nothing but stare helplessly right back. Its little ears were pressed flat against its head, this time, however, in utter fear. And its little paws, surprisingly, were wrapping their way around Dean's sturdy arm and pushing fiercely against him as if trying to pry the hunter's hand away from its neck.

Suddenly, as he was lifting the Japanese dagger in the air, Dean saw something flash in the cat's blue eyes, something that looked a lot like recognition. Its ears flew up in alarm and its paws froze in place on the hunter's wrist as its little, black head cocked to the side. And, in an incredibly familiar voice, asked quietly, "Dean?"

Dean's hand flinched and his eyes gazed into the cat's even more intensely. Did the cat just speak? The tone was incredibly surprising as well because, for such an adorable, little cat, he would have never expected in a million years that this little guy would have such a…deep and rough voice. And Dean could swear he had heard someone say his name in that exact way before. But it was so hard to place a face to it when it was coming from a cat. Dean almost didn't think he could kill the damn thing as it asked again in that insanely familiar voice, "Dean, is that you?"

But, he had to. It was for his brothers, he told himself. All for his brothers.

So, Dean pushed away all feeling and rose the dagger up and began to lunge it towards the cat's heart. Suddenly, however, one of the cat's paws went up and put it in front of the hunter in a very _human_ signal for 'stop'. "Dean, Dean! Stop, wait!" Dean's arm froze in place again, not being able to stab something that sounded so familiar. "It's me, it's me! Castiel!"

Dean's eyes suddenly widened. That was it. That was where he had heard this cat's voice before. It was the voice of someone he knew very well. One of his best friends. One of his lost brothers. Castiel.

Dean scanned his eyes over the little, black cat with the piercing, blue eyes. Those eyes… He would recognize that color anywhere. They were the same ones' that belonged to his beloved brother, Castiel.

Dean's eyes softened instantly, eyebrows furrowing in guilt, and he asked quietly, "Cas?"

The black cat's little head nodded with a small smile in relief as its arm rested back down on Dean's huge wrist. "Yes…!"

Dean's eyebrows furrowed and his eyes softened completely as his arm suddenly moved backwards and let the dagger slide out of his hand to make a loud clank on the floor. He then released his grip on the black cat beneath him to flop down and stare into the little creature on the wooden planks. To stare into the changed eyes of Castiel.

The little cat – Castiel – began to gasp for the breath that had been cut off from him by Dean's hand. His tiny paw came up to rub at his throat, massaging his neck.

Dean's eyes darted around the little, furry creature, who was apparently Castiel. This had to be the strangest thing he had seen all day, by far. Forget skeletons, trolls, and talking trees! He was now staring at his best friend who had been turned into a puny, little cat!

Dean blinked a few times before asking hesitantly, "H-How is this even… _possible_?"

Castiel glanced up at Dean's shocked expression with his now feline eyes, paw still rubbing at his neck. After a second or two, Castiel looked back down at the tatami mat below them as he shook his head and answered in a breathy voice, "I…I don't know… I just came here last night, hungry and confused. The two people who live in this house – Aiya and Fujita – they were exceedingly generous to me and offered me some food. Everything was fine until…" Castiel paused before closing his eyes and shaking his head again, as if he was remembering something terrible. "There was this _terrible_ burning… _everywhere_ … My entire body was in absolute pain, and when it all stopped I was…"

Castiel didn't finish. He didn't need to for Dean to understand what happened next. Castiel had turned into a cat, terrifying the two residents as their guest had suddenly changed shape completely, making them try to come up with a reasonable explanation, which was that he had been a monster the whole time.

Dean nodded. "I see…"

"I was so confused, Dean," Castiel said as he looked up at his best friend. "I was confused to _begin_ with! But then, when I think that this place couldn't get any odder, I suddenly am transformed into a _cat_! And the next thing I know, the only people who had helped me in this insane world are screaming and trying to _kill_ me!" Castiel seemed to be letting all of the built-up emotion and confusion he had been storing up out onto Dean, the only person he had left to trust. "I had to hide under a _dresser_ and a _tapestry_ because I thought they were still trying to get to me! I was… I was…!"

Suddenly, Castiel stopped. His eyes softened and his angry expression faded away as he looked back down at the floor. Dean had never seen Castiel act like this before, so emotional and dramatic. The hunter suddenly realized that, not only had Castiel been confused, he had also been _scared_. Scared about where he was and what had happened to him, thinking that he was all alone in some unknown world where no one could find him or help him. Scared about what would happen next, for he was just a puny, little cat stuck in a house full of screaming giants who were preparing to kill him, forcing him – a once powerful angel – to hide behind a dresser and hope for the best.

Dean nodded, suddenly feeling the urge to comfort his terrified friend, but how was he supposed to do that? He had no advice to give him or support to offer and he had no _idea_ what the next step was. Before, it had just been a simple matter of finding his lost brothers and possibly fighting something off or tending to their wounds. But what was he supposed to do when Castiel wasn't even human anymore? Or at least, didn't look like one. Castiel didn't even know _how_ it happened to _begin_ with.

But, they would figure it out, somehow. Right now, Dean just needed to make sure Cas knew that, too.

So, Dean moved towards his terrified friend slowly and hesitantly with softened eyes and a gentle voice. His hand then moved down and rested on Castiel's furry shoulder as he stared his friend in the eye and said, "Okay, Cas. Don't worry, man. We'll figure it out, okay? Like we always do. We're gonna fix this, I promise."

Dean smiled gently at Castiel as he stared reassuringly into his friend's eyes. He could tell Castiel was trying to decide how sure Dean was of even his own words, but, right now, he didn't really care. All he cared about at the moment was that he had found one of his brothers, even if he looked a little different. And, no matter how hard it seemed, Dean knew that he would fix his friend, find Sam, and go back home, together. No matter the consequences.


	6. Chapter 5: The Assassin's Scene

**Oh my giggles, guys! So, if you didn't know already, I messed up. If you have read this story before November 15th, 2015, chapters two and three were most likely wrong. I had accidently published the wrong chapters on there, so it would be a great idea to reread this story before you continue. If you go to those chapters and find they're the same ones as before, then you're good, you don't need to reread them. And if you're new to this story, you can just ignore this and go on to reading this chapter! :D**

 **Thanks! I hope you enjoy this chapter! If you do, please don't be shy to favorite and follow, but I appreciate reviews even more! So, please review if you enjoyed this chapter and story! I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

 **Enjoy! ;D**

* * *

Dean moved towards his terrified friend slowly and hesitantly with softened eyes and a gentle voice. His hand then moved down and rested on Castiel's now furry, cat shoulder as he stared his friend in the eye and said, "Okay, Cas. Don't worry, man. We'll figure it out, okay? Like we always do. We're gonna fix this, I promise."

Castiel just stared at Dean for a while before he nodded once and said quietly, but not very convinced, "Thank you, Dean."

Dean nodded as well and hesitantly took his hand away from Castiel's shoulder. It was so strange to realize that the small, fluffy creature in front of him was his long-time companion, friend, and brother – Castiel. He tried not to show his feelings, though, for Cas' sake.

Suddenly, there was a hesitant knock on the shōji doors as a quiet voice called out from behind them, "Dean- _san_? Is the bakeneko dead, yet? You've been in there for quite some time."

Dean's head whipped around to face the door as he recognized the voice as Fujita, the owner of the house they were now trapped in. The hunter suddenly remembered the reason he was in this room to begin with and how he had found Castiel: to kill this 'bakeneko', a monster cat who had been terrorizing the residents of the Japanese house he was in. To kill his transformed friend – Castiel.

Dean looked back at his changed companion to find him staring at the shōji with wide, terrified eyes. Even though the blue orbs were feline instead of human, it was still strange to see the fear that was tightly held on his poor face. It wasn't surprising either, the man behind the door had been plotting to kill him the entire day, trapping him under a dresser.

But then again, it had been Dean who had been the assassin.

Not knowing anything to do but calm his friend down in order to make him not freak out, the young hunter decided to try and reassure Cas of his safety. Maybe they could avoid a disaster if the whole situation could be explained?

Dean's hands reached out for Castiel as he said soothingly, "It's okay, Cas, it's oka-"

"Dean- _san_?" Fujita hesitantly called again from behind the door, "Who are you talking to?" After the old man was finished with his question, however, he didn't wait for Dean's answer before sliding the door open to find out for himself.

The old, Japanese farmer appeared in the doorway looking cautiously into the room, expecting to see Dean's job to be done. Suddenly, though, upon seeing his assassin crouching in front of – what he thought to be – a dangerous monster, he screamed out, "Dean- _san_! Get back! It'll curse you!"

Dean shot to his feet, putting his hands out in defense of Castiel as he screamed out, "Fujita, I can explain!"

Fujita seemed to think he didn't need an explanation as he suddenly lunged forward and picked up the discarded dagger. "Get out of here, Dean- _san_!"

"Fujita, stop!" Dean shouted in desperation, putting himself between Castiel and the new attacker, as the old farmer shot forward, dagger in hand. "He's not-"

The young hunter suddenly heard, from behind him, a feline hiss of shock and fear. Knowing it had come from his transformed friend, Dean's head whipped back to see Castiel dart from the room in a little ebony streak.

"Cas! No! Stop!" Dean called to his terrified friend.

Seeing that his victim had left, Fujita whipped around to start chasing after the tiny cat. Dean shot forward and grabbed the old, Japanese man by the arms, holding him back from trying to attack the tiny cat that had just ran from the room. From outside of the room, the two men could suddenly hear a woman's screech of terror followed by a hiss of distress.

"Aiya!" Fujita called, upon hearing his daughter's scream.

"Cas!" Dean shouted, upon hearing his friend's hiss.

The hunter could hear tiny fumbles of footsteps in the room he had just been having tea with Fujita and Aiya in. He suddenly felt his pulse start to quicken as he could hear his best friend frantically rushing around the floor, desperately searching for an exit or at least a safe place to hide. His heart tore as he imagined the terror that was probably rushing through Castiel's changed veins as he tried to run from screaming giants in a strange, enlarged room.

Fujita's arms were moving desperately as he tried to escape from Dean's grasp in order to protect his daughter from the apparent 'monster' outside the room they were in, and the young hunter was just as desperate to go out there and help his struggling friend. So, he quickly moved Fujita's arm that held the dagger down and yanked the knife from the man's hand.

With the dagger now in grasp, Dean ignored the Japanese farmer, pushing him to the ground, and darted out of the room and down the hall. His race to the room where he could hear Castiel seemed never-ending, in fact, the hallway seemed to be growing longer and longer. The young hunter assumed it was just his imagination, but sped up nevertheless.

Dean finally found himself in the room he had been served tea in and began glancing around, desperately trying to find his now very small friend. Suddenly, Aiya ran into view with a broom in hand as she squealed in terror. Right in front of her, was Castiel's tiny, feline form running desperately away from the crazed woman behind him.

"Cas!" Dean called, catching sight of his terrified companion.

Upon hearing his friend call his name, Castiel slowed down slightly in order to look over at him. This, however, gave Aiya the opportunity to whack the ebony cat on the side, making a cry of pain erupt from the transformed angel.

Dean felt a gasp of shock and horror escape from his mouth as he saw his best friend being pathetically slapped by a broom. Aiya brought down another hit from her broom, releasing another cry of dreadful pain come from Castiel.

"Aiya, stop!" Dean shouted as he started to make his way towards her.

Thankfully, the young woman's broom did freeze in its place above her head and her eyes darted over to the hunter. Unfortunately, Castiel took this opportunity to make a break for it, even though his friend was still there in the room protecting him. So, Dean could only watch as his transformed friend suddenly darted in a black streak from the room, out the door, and into the terrible storm that was commencing outside.

"Cas! Wait!" Dean called after his best friend. He ran to the door to look out into the storm. An arm went up to his face, shielding his eyes from the pouring rain, as he searched the rice fields for a dart of black. Right when Dean thought he wouldn't see his friend, he suddenly saw a dot of a cat stumbling quickly along the rice fields.

Dean then turned around and grabbed his leather satchel he had gotten from Portobello's hospitality. And, without a second thought, rushed out into the pouring rain in hopes of finding his terrified friend. He could hear Fujita shouting and calling from behind him to come back inside, that the thing he was chasing was a bakeneko – a monster.

Despite the nipping cold rain, Dean felt his skin turn hot with rage. He knew the two farmers didn't know any better, but the very concept that they could see Castiel as a monster was atrocious. How could they not see how scared he was? That he had no idea what was going on either?

No matter, all Dean cared about now was finding Castiel, fixing him, and going back home with Sam. And the first step in getting that done was following his terrified friend, no matter where he took him.

"Cas!" he called. "Stop!"

The tiny cat far ahead of him did not slow down, however. If anything, the little creature sped up, afraid that the threat was still behind him. It pained Dean, really, to see his friend so terrified that he would just keep running and running into oblivion.

The hunter thought that he would be chasing after Castiel forever, until, suddenly, the tiny cat turned and ran into the rice fields. At first, Dean became afraid that he would never find the small feline in the tall weeds of rice, but he finally saw Castiel emerge and trot into a little, elevated hut.

The hunter came to a halt, panting heavily as he came up to the tiny hut. He assumed that his transformed friend had become tired out from all his frantic scramblings, so no wonder Castiel decided to take shelter in whatever place he could find, no matter how long the rest would be.

The hut was much more sheltered than some of the other structures that were spread out around the fields. It was covered in bamboo and seemed secure enough, at least enough to last the terrible storm this place was having.

Dean came up to the entrance of the little building, panting hard from his run. He decided to go in calm and natural, even though he was Castiel's friend, he could tell that his transformed companion was spooked at pretty much everything at the moment. That knowledge made Dean's heart ache.

Castiel did not feel safe around anyone. Even Dean.

So, with a deep breath, Dean entered the little hut quietly. The hunter's eyes darted around the tiny building, searching for his changed friend. There wasn't much to see in the small structure, just bamboo, baskets, and tools. So, it wasn't hard to spot a little, wadded up ball of wet, black fur in the corner of the hut.

Dean gently made his way towards the tiny cat in the corner, who was shivering from the cold behind two baskets. Upon seeing the sight of the tiny creature shivering in the corner and realizing it was his once proud and strong friend, Dean's heart broke. What a terrible situation Castiel was in for him to be driven to this: a tiny ball of black fur, cold and alone in the corner, hoping and praying that no one would step through the door.

Dean crouched in front of the two baskets that were protecting Castiel from any threats and gently scooted them to the side. Suddenly, however, once Dean started to move the woven baskets, a loud, angry hiss erupted from behind them. A tiny, black paw then lashed out, claws extended, and slashed at his hand. Pain throbbed from the hunter's skin, but he ignored it as he focused on being calm.

"It's okay, it's okay," Dean said softly, mellow and gentle. "It's just me, Cas, just me."

With one of the baskets out of the way, Dean could now see his transformed friend's face. Castiel's blue eyes lit up in the moonlight as they glared at the hunter with fierce intensity. Then, Castiel opened his mouth, showing crisp, white fangs as a ferocious hiss came from behind them.

This action both confused and terrified Dean. Why was Cas hissing at him? Didn't he recognize him as not a threat? Not knowing what else to do, Dean continued to speak calmly to his friend.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, man," Dean put up his hands in defense. "It's just me."

Castiel's changed eyes flicked over to something in Dean's hand before his deep voice suddenly came from his mouth, saying threateningly, "Put the dagger down."

Dean's eyes then followed Cas', finding that he was still holding the Japanese dagger he had taken from Fujita. Without saying a word, the hunter tossed the knife aside and looked back at his tiny friend. "'Kay, better?"

Castiel shifted, eyes narrowed. "How do I know you're really Dean?"

Dean's head moved in surprise. "What? What are you talking about, Cas!? Of course it's me!"

Castiel's eyes narrowed even more. "You tried to kill me."

"All for good reason!" Dean defended, but his friend's narrowed eyes told him that he was still not convincing enough. A sigh came from his lips before he explained, "Fujita told me you were…a monster."

Castiel's suspicious expression changed into that of surprise. "What?"

The young hunter shrugged. "He said that you were something called a 'bakeneko'. They were afraid you were going to…curse them." Dean didn't like telling his friend this. Castiel already seemed to be feeling bad, but to tell him that people were now thinking he was some sort of monster?

Castiel's eyes flicked down to stare at the ground. "I see…" he muttered. "I suppose that explains why they were so terrified of me…" Dean's transformed friend was quiet for a while before he looked back up at him again to ask, "And they convinced you to…assassinate me?"

Dean's eyebrows furrowed in guilt. "I…I thought that if I helped them, they would tell me where you and Sam were-"

Suddenly, Dean was interrupted by Castiel's eyes widening and him shouting out, "Sam!" The changed feline then sprang up and ran to the door as he continued, "No! How could I have forgotten!?"

"Cas?" Dean turned around to see Castiel standing at the doorway, contemplating if he wanted to go back into the rain. "What're you talking abou-"

His transformed friend looked back at him with worried eyes as he interrupted him again, "Sam! He's still out there!"

Dean shifted in his crouching position. "What? What do mean?"

Castiel turned his head to face the doorway before coming back around to stare at the young hunter with concern as he exclaimed, voice ridden with worry, "I was with him! He was taken, Dean! I have to go find him! He might be in danger! He might be hurt! He was my responsibility!"

Castiel seemed as though he could go on forever with his terrified and worried rant, so Dean put his hands out and demanded, "Cas! Cas, listen to me, man! It's gonna be okay! Just calm down!" Once Castiel had stopped talking, Dean continued softly, "Okay. You said you were with Sam?"

Castiel nodded. "Yes, he and I arrived in this place together. We woke up in the middle of an ocean before taking a boat to shore. When we finally arrived to the village at the port, Sam had suddenly became _extremely_ hungry. No one in the village would give us food, however, so…we decided to make our way to these rice fields…. But, Sam had become too hungry to venture any further by the time we were halfway through the forest…" Castiel paused, eyes glancing to the ground as he continued. "I…I didn't know what to do, so I took some fruit off of the branches of the trees around us… But that was when…the lights came…."

Dean shook his head slowly with a furrowed brow as he asked, "The lights?"

Castiel took a deep breath before looking up to stare at the wall blankly and answer, "I wasn't able to get a good look at them, but…" Castiel shook his head. "When Sam was almost halfway done with the first fruit I had gathered for him, he just began to… _scream_ …" Dean's transformed friend didn't continue for a few seconds, as if the memory was too painful to keep telling, but, he pursued on. "He started to grab his head in agony… He was in so much pain, Dean… I didn't know what to do…" He paused before his tone became more serious. "Then, from behind the trees, I could see…these _lights_. I didn't get a good look at them before…before I passed out and woke up at night on the edge of the forest. That was when I became incredibly hungry and found Fujita and Aiya and…" Castiel didn't continue, but he didn't need to for Dean to know what had happened next.

His friend's story made Dean become even more worried for his lost, little brother. He found his eyes glancing up to the doorway as he knew that somewhere out there his brother was lost, hungry, and hurt. They _had_ to find him. They _would_ find him.

Dean looked back down at Castiel, staring into his transformed eyes. A feeling of dread filled the hunter's very being as he suddenly realized that what happened to Cas could've happened to Sam. He could be stuck with two transformed brothers with no way of helping them.

No, he couldn't think of that. He had to stay positive. Not only for himself, but for Castiel and Sam. They would find Sam and they would fix Cas.

For right now, though, no matter how much the both of them desperately wanted to go find Sam, they needed to wait for the storm to pass and the sun to rise. They couldn't find Sam if they were tired and straining their eyes through the dark.

"Okay, Cas. We'll go find Sam, but let's wait for till morning, okay?" Dean suggested.

Castiel's head suddenly shook ferociously. "No, Dean! I can't sit idly by while Sam could be hurt and alone somewhere! I was supposed to look after him, make sure he didn't get hurt! He needs-!"

"Cas!" Dean shouted, making Castiel's loud ramblings be silenced. "I don't like it either, man, but we can't find Sam in a rainstorm!"

"But, Sam could-!"

"We'll find him, Cas!" Dean shouted. "I won't let some light sons-a-bitches get to my little brother, but that also means being smart about it!" The hunter then chuckled. "Sam wouldn't go out in that storm, now would he?" Castiel didn't respond as he looked back at the doorway. Dean then put his back against on wall of the hut as he said softly, "Now, I'm going to get my four hours. Wake me the moment the storm stops, okay?"

Castiel didn't say anything as Dean laid down on the floor of the hut. And, as the young hunter drifted into sleep despite the ever-present worry of Sam's well-being in his mind, the last image he saw before blackness surrounded his vison was Castiel's feline form sitting in front of the doorway, just watching the raindrops hit the ground. Peaceful was the scene, but dreadful was its reality.


End file.
